1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to mobile telecommunications systems and, in particular, to the use of a linked list of directory numbers within a telecommunications device for originating outgoing calls.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the use of mobile communications has increased dramatically due to the obvious conveniences and benefits associated with such use, as well as the increased availability and affordability associated with mobile radio service. In addition to the existing wire-line or plain old telephone service (POTS) line numbers, a typical telecommunications user is thereby associated with, for example, a cellular or Personal Communication System (PCS) number, a home number, an office number, a pager, and/or voicemail number. Accordingly, a caller may have to originate a number of different call connections to successfully establish a speech connection with a particular called party subscriber. As an illustration, a caller may have to first dial a particular called party subscriber""s office directory number to determine that the line is not being answered. In response thereto, the calling party subscriber may then have to originate a call connection towards the same called party subscriber via his or her mobile or PCS directory number. In response to an announcement message indicating that the mobile station is either xe2x80x9cturned offxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctraveling outside of the coverage areaxe2x80x9d, the calling party subscriber may then have to dial the associated home directory number. Being told that the called party subscriber is unavailable or being answered by an answering machine, the caller may then have to lastly dial the pager/voice-mail number associated with the called party subscriber. As exhaustively illustrated above, a caller may have to repeatedly and inconveniently memorize and dial a number of different telephone numbers all associated with the same called party in an attempt to establish a call connection therebetween.
Even with the introduction of internal phone books, voice dialing, and speed dialing capabilities within a telecommunications device, such as a mobile station, a caller using the device has to inconveniently search for and dial associated directory numbers. Likewise, a caller has to assign and memorize different speed dialing access codes or voice activation means for each of the directory numbers representing a particular called party subscriber. Furthermore, as more and more users are utilizing their mobile service while driving, searching through the internal phone directory and viewing and selecting the desired information via a relatively small display unit could be cumbersome and dangerous.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for overcoming the above-identified deficiencies. More particularly, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus for originating multiple call connections without having to separately identify or enter associated directory numbers.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for originating outgoing call connections within a telecommunications device. A telecommunications device, such as a mobile station, stores a plurality of directory numbers wherein some of said plurality of directory numbers are sequentially correlated into a link list. As an embodiment, a first directory number stored within the mobile station is associated with a pointer for correlating with a second directory number. The second directory number may further be associated with a pointer for correlating with a third directory number. Accordingly, an indefinite number of directory numbers can be sequentially correlated and similarly maintained in a link list.
A first outgoing call connection is originated using a first directory number associated with a particular sequential link list of directory numbers. Thereafter, in response to detecting a predetermined condition or user instruction, the mobile station discontinues the first outgoing call connection and retrieves a second directory number from the associated link list. The mobile station then originates a new outgoing call connection with the newly retrieved directory number as the called party number (CdPn). In response to subsequent detection of the predetermined condition, the processor sequentially originates related outgoing call connections using the rest of the linked directory numbers in a similar manner. In one embodiment, such a predetermined condition is detected when a particular user key associated with the mobile station is pressed. In another embodiment, the predetermined condition is detected when a particular call setup result is generated from the originated outgoing connection request.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a system for storing a sequential link list of directory numbers within a mobile station and sequentially originating multiple outgoing call connections using the stored directory numbers;
In another aspect, the present invention provides a system for sequentially originating a plurality of outgoing call connections within a mobile station without having to separately enter or select the associated directory numbers;
In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a system for storing a sequential link list of directory numbers within a mobile station and for detecting a predetermined condition within said mobile station for effectuating a sequence of outgoing call connections; and
In a further aspect, the present invention provides a method for storing a sequentially correlated link list of directory numbers within a mobile station and for sequentially originating outgoing call connections using said directory numbers until a desired call connection is established.